Businesses adjust to the 'new normal' of operating during a pandemic
Frano Bina dons protective mask and gloves when serving customers through the drive-thru window at the McDonald’s located on West Broadway Avenue. Photo by Harry Colbert, Jr.
By Harry Colbert, Jr. Editor
For the better part of three months while America has been plodding along in its “new normal” due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Northside business owners have been navigating the turbulent waters of trying to remain afloat while at the same time keeping their staffs, families and the community safe.
The question now becomes how much longer this new normal will last and what business will look like in a post-COVID-19 world.
On a typical day the McDonald’s at 916 West Broadway Ave. is bustling with customers—many of them students from nearby schools, others workers from the many businesses along North Minneapolis’ main thoroughfare. Now, several of the businesses are closed and schools are uninhabited for the foreseeable future. And Big Macs aren’t flying off the grill at the same pace.
“Volume is certainly lower. It’s pretty much been cut in half,” said Tim Baylor, who owns and operates several McDonald’s franchises, including the West Broadway location.
The anchoring business of the strip mall between Bryant and Emerson Avenues North now serves customers solely through its drive-thru window. Baylor said when the virus initially hit and orders to shutter restaurant dining rooms came down, he tried to keep the store’s lobby open but some customers would not comply with the social distancing guidelines, thus he made the decision to completely close-off the restaurant’s interior to customers. Baylor said he is in the enviable position of having a drive-thru option and corporate backing.
“McDonald’s will fare better (than other independent restaurants) because of size and our model,” said Baylor. “And because we have a drive thru. Most businesses don’t have that option.”
While business is markedly down, Baylor said he’s in no hurry to reopen his interior doors—even if the governor says he can.
“I’m not going to open just because I can or for the sake of money,” said Baylor. “I have a responsibility to my staff, customers and to the community.”
Teto Wilson doesn’t want to open too soon either, but he also doesn’t want to cause further economic hardship to the shop's barbers who rely on his business being open.
Wilson is the owner of Wilson’s Image Barbers & Stylists, 2124 1/2 West Broadway Ave. Deemed by the governor a nonessential business, barbershops and beauty salons were ordered closed back in March. Provided the date isn’t again pushed back (a reopen date has twice been delayed), Wilson will be allowed to open June 1 as long as he can demonstrate a plan to mitigate the spread of the deadly virus. Still, Wilson remains hesitant.
“In my business we’re breathing each other’s air and I’m interacting with a lot of people so that concerns me,” said Wilson.
The shop owner said he will open June 1 if he gets the OK, but said his decision is more so to provide his fellow barbers with an income. Still, he will be enforcing new shop rules including not allowing customers in the waiting area (unless it is a minor child of a customer).
“Before, there could be 20 … 30 people in the shop at one time. Traditionally in the black community the barbershop is a social gathering space,” said Wilson.
Just because the governor deemed barbershops nonessential, it didn’t decrease the demand for services. Wilson said he had several customers requesting cuts during the mandated Stay at Home period, but he declined the requests.
“I said it’s not worth it,” said Wilson. “I didn’t want to be taking the chance to catch the virus or to bring it home to my daughters. I heard one story about a barber (in another state) who was still taking clients and he came down with COVID-19 and died just so one of his customers could look good and so he could get a couple of dollars.”
Dr. Juneau Robbins is another business owner who had to make the tough call as to whether or not to remain open.
A chiropractor who operates Cultural Chiropractic, 3900 Thomas Ave. N., Robbins’ business is absolutely essential to his patients suffering from moderate to severe back and neck pain. And chiropractic medicine is a hands-on practice.
In the initial weeks of the pandemic Robbins closed the doors to his clinic, but he has since reopened with a modified schedule and additional precautions. He and his staff are spacing out patients in 30-minute intervals and he disinfects his equipment after each use.
“Actually I do it twice, so the patient prior sees me do it and again before the next patient,” said Robbins, speaking with his nose and mouth covered with a mask. “I want each patient to see me disinfecting so they have that level of comfort and reassurance knowing I’m maintaining a safe environment.”
Robbins said his clinic is operating about a 40 percent capacity. That’s in part due to the increased time between patients and in part due to the nature of his business. Much of Robbins’ practice is caring for those injured in auto accidents, but with less drivers on the road due to the Stay-at-Home order, there have been fewer accidents. But Robbins has found a productive use of that extra time by addressing the “back-end” business demands of billing, charting and other paperwork.
Like Wilson, Robbins is cognizant of possible infection and spreading it to his family.
“When I come home I undress and place my clothes in a bag and I immediately shower before interacting with my wife and son,” said Robbins.
With people having “extra time” on their hands it’s easy to assume several would take the opportunity to tackle some of those home improvement projects on their list. But that may not be the case. Darryl Weivoda, owner of North End Hardware, 3117 Penn Ave. N., said his business is suffering along with many of the rest. In what he calls a needs based business, Weivoda said while the need may still be there, people are not patronizing home improvement at normal spring levels.
“The contractors aren’t coming in as much anymore. They aren’t being called for as many jobs so they don’t have the same need for supplies,” said Weivoda, who has been associated with the business for close to 43 years.
Typically the store would open at 7 a.m. to accommodate contractors, but without that influx of business North End now opens at 8 a.m. To keep his workers safe he has installed a plexiglass shield at the checkout and has his employees wear masks.
“Our goal is to keep everyone safe and gainfully employed,” said Weivoda.
Each of the Northside business owners applauded the governor’s response to the pandemic and cautioned against opening up the economy too soon.
“The numbers (of people with the virus) are still concerning to me,” said Wilson. “I’m concerned that we may open up too soon, and the numbers shoot up again, and we have to shut everything back down.”